The Conversation
Trash TV: streaming giants are failing to educate the young about waste recycling. Here's why it matters
An essential part of managing a growing global waste problem is sorting, recovering and recycling it. But you won’t see this on children’s shows that feature waste collection.
Salman Shooshtarian, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University
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Why electric trucks are our best bet to cut road transport emissions
Battery electric trucks offer larger and more certain emission cuts than trucks powered by hydrogen in the quest to reduce Australia’s stubbornly high transport emissions.
Robin Smit, Adjunct Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney
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How rising sea levels will affect our coastal cities and towns
Even a small rise in sea level can have big impacts on coastal properties, so we must do all we can to limit the changes while taking them into account in coastal land-use planning.
Thomas Mortlock, Adjunct Fellow, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney
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Up to 5 billion people to be hit by rainfall changes this century if CO₂ emissions are not curbed, research shows
To date, the effects of climate change on global rainfall has been uncertain. New research overcomes this uncertainty – with alarming results.
Ralph Trancoso, Adjunct Associate Professor in Climate Change, The University of Queensland
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Climate change and nature loss are our biggest environmental problems - so why isn't the market tackling them together?
Sometimes when taking these actions, however, carbon storage is prioritised at the expense of biodiversity. But that need not be the case.
Patrick O'Connor, Associate Professor, University of Adelaide
Anthelia Bond, Research Fellow, University of Adelaide
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TikTok says orange cats are 'dumb', and tortoiseshell cats have 'an attitude'. But how true is that?
Surveys on cat personality are filled out by people. As such, results are affected by human perspectives, projections and biases.
Susan Hazel, Associate Professor, School of Animal and Veterinary Science, University of Adelaide
Julia Henning, PhD Candidate, University of Adelaide
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Thousands of visitors flock to Australia's national parks each year – and many take silly risks. How do we keep people safe?
Visitor numbers to national parks are increasing. It means masses of people are being funnelled into potentially dangerous locations for which they may be unprepared.
Samuel Cornell, PhD Candidate, School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney
Amy Peden, NHMRC Research Fellow, School of Population Health & co-founder UNSW Beach Safety Research Group, UNSW Sydney
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A prefab building revolution can help resolve both the climate and housing crises
Modular building techniques offer sustainable, affordable and adaptable solutions for a rapidly changing world.
Ehsan Noroozinejad, Senior Researcher, Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University
Parisa Ziaesaeidi, Associate Lecturer in Architecture, Western Sydney University
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How do I use air conditioning efficiently? Is it better to blast it briefly throughout the day, or just leave it on?
While running it briefly and intermittently at a very low temperature may feel thrifty, it will not be the most energy efficient choice. Here’s what to do instead.
Mark Goldsworthy, Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO
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How 2023's record heat worsened droughts, floods and bushfires around the world
The impacts of record heat on the global water cycle were severe and wide-ranging – and the trend will continue in 2024.
Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University
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A heatwave in Antarctica totally blew the minds of scientists. They set out to decipher it – and here are the results
A heatwave in 2022 redefined scientific expectations of the Antarctic climate. Now the global community must prepare for what a warmer world may bring.
Dana M Bergstrom, Honorary Senior Fellow, University of Wollongong
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As Australia's net zero transition threatens to stall, rooftop solar could help provide the power we need
Australia leads the world in rooftop solar per head. Can this small-scale power source be the secret weapon to fire up our struggling transition to net zero?
Anna Bruce, Associate Professor in the Collaboration on Energy and Environmental Markets and the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, UNSW Sydney
Baran Yildiz, Senior Research Associate, UNSW Sydney
Dani Alexander, CEO, UNSW Energy Institute, UNSW Sydney
Mike Roberts, Senior Research Fellow in the Collaboration on Energy and Environmental Markets and the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, UNSW Sydney
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Dogs are incredible – if unlikely – allies in conservation
Conservation dogs perform vital roles across Australia. Some are guardians protecting wildlife from predators while others put their powerful sense of smell to use as sniffer dogs or detection dogs.
Romane H Cristescu, Researcher in Koala, Detection Dogs, Conservation Genetics and Ecology, University of the Sunshine Coast
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Become a beach scientist this summer and help monitor changing coastlines
With smartphones as commonplace as towels and sunscreen in the beach bag, why not add coastal data collection to your list of holiday activities this summer? Look for the CoastSnap camera cradles.
Mitchell Harley, Scientia Senior Lecturer, UNSW Sydney
Fred Chaaya, Project Engineer, UNSW Water Research Laboratory
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Are catnip and treats like it safe for cats? Here's how they affect their minds and moods
Are plant-based treats like catnip, cat thyme and silver vine safe for cats? And it it ethical to use them?
Mia Cobb, Research Fellow, Animal Welfare Science Centre, The University of Melbourne
Anne Quain, Senior Lecturer, Sydney School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney
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Crocs love feral pigs and quolls have a taste for rabbit – but it doesn't solve the invasive species problem
Invasive species such as deer, pigs and rabbits might help boost native predator populations.
Euan Ritchie, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University
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Won’t my cat get bored if I keep it inside? Here's how to ensure it's happy
Keeping your cat indoors is safer for your pet and wildlife. There are some simple steps you can take to ensure its quality of life doesn’t suffer.
Tiffani J. Howell, Senior Research Fellow, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University
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No climate for cricket: how global warming is putting the heat on NZ’s summer game
The climate crisis poses an existential threat to cricket. Governing bodies like New Zealand Cricket need to up their sustainability game.
Chris McMillan, Professional Teaching Fellow in Sociology, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
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'Ecology on steroids': how Australia's First Nations managed Australia's ecosystems
When people first came to Australia 65,000 years ago, the Earth was in an ice age. Then the seas rose, drought and floods came – and still people endured.
Penny van Oosterzee, Adjunct Associate Professor James Cook University and University Fellow Charles Darwin University, James Cook University
Barry Hunter, Acting CEO, North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance, Indigenous Knowledge
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'Foul and loathsome’ or jewels of the natural world? The complicated history of human-frog relations
There is a rich history of people really loving frogs. But the history of human-frog relations is long and complicated – and not all of it is nice.
Susan Broomhall, Director, Gender and Women's History Research Centre, Australian Catholic University
Andrea Gaynor, Professor of History, The University of Western Australia
Andy Flack, Senior Lecturer in Modern and Environmental History, University of Bristol
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